From LizG's post. Currently you can draw on your super fund tax free once you are over 60. It also means that once you turn 60 you can continue working, pay a large amount into your super, at a reduced tax rate, and then draw on your super to make up salary, tax free. (Or you can just retire and live off super tax free.)
I'm glad you qualified it with the word 'currently' . Who knows what tricks they will get up to in 10..20..40 years time. These schemes are really directed at the big earners. You throw a couple of hundred grand into your pension pot. Pay no tax on it and then draw it out tax free or at a reduced rate. I wonder why those on minimum wages don't do it? Don't answer that.

Done all that China and my NI record shows 42 years of full contributions and 7 years that I did not contribute. This was from when I was made redundant in 2011. I have worked part time on and off since but not earned enough to make further contributions. My 42 years though of full contributions should still count though as you only need 35 to qualify. I paid full stamp for the 9 years I was self employed so that should not have an impact. The gov site will not let you see the calculations once you have passed the qualifying age only your NI record, cant see why not but that is the case. Will probably have to write or ring unless I can find an online chat service for it. They have that for tax enquiries. If I do qualify for the maximum they are currently short changing me by nearly £500 p.a.

When I was self-employed and paying my own stamp I asked why I had to keep on paying NI and got a dusty answer. Apart from that I can't ever remember having any problems with pension amounts or payment.
One of the biggest changes I have noted is not the government but the private pensions. When Tiz cashed his in we had an exchange about this. The terms I got in 2000 were far better than what he was offered pro rata. I think that once more the gods were looking after me because I never did any shopping round, just took what Pearl offered me. It's mounting up nicely now on 3% annual rise. Every birthday they give me a present!

Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!

My 42 years though of full contributions should still count though as you only need 35 to qualify.

My quick read of China's post is that once you have contributed 35 years worth you get their full basic pension offer. There are reduction penalties for not getting to 35 but no bonuses for contributing more than 35 years, There are small extra payments depending on how you have orgonised yourself in the past. Contracted out, etc, etc,

Indeed my NI record shows 42 years of full contributions. When I was made redundant in 2011 I distinctly remember ringing and asking If I needed to continue making voluntary contributions. I was told then that I had more than enough credit to ensure the full state pension. If you do continue to to contribute over the 35 years the majority of the payment goes towards the widows pension in the event of your early demise, I was told that the maximum difference that would make to that if I continued full payments for another seven years would be around £3.00 per week so not really worth the extra expenditure. I paid full stamp for myself when I was self employed and what really irks is that I also paid full stamp for Sally when we made the decision that she would stay at home while the kids were young, and we know what they did to her.

The gov gateway will not let you access the calculations once you have passed your official pension start date only the NI record. You can ring and request a recalculation which is what I will do. The written one I have been sent does not say why mine has been reduced from the full amount. It's seems to be designed as an example of smoke and mirrors, which I suppose is about right.

You can't help getting the feeling that the overriding impulse is to use every loophole in the regs to reduce what is paid out. I know that's how I felt when they made me cash my fund in to raise my income so that I didn't qualify for extra benefits. I chased it down with Gordon Prentice and he did a good job for me but we found that the authority to make the change was all in the small print of the regulations and It surprised Gordon as well.
They may be bad at chasing the big guys but they are finely honed when it comes to the small fry like us, especially when self-employment comes into the equation.
I agree totally with you Ian on the subject of Sally's stamps and pension. That's retrospective tampering with what should have been a binding contract.

Stanley Challenger Graham
Stanley's View
scg1936 at talktalk.net

"Beware of certitude" (Jimmy Reid)
The floggings will continue until morale improves!